NEWS

Few people have had such a lasting impact on post-war coin trade in Germany like Fritz Rudolf Künker. Starting out as a one-man business, Fritz Rudolf Künker GmbH & Co. KG would grow into one of the largest numismatic companies in the world. On 21 June 2019, “K1” is turning 70. Ursula Kampmann is honoring him with the following text.

Ute Wartenberg-Kagan offers her congratulations on the occasion of Fritz Rudolf Künker’s birthday. She acknowledges him as the person that has done most on an international level to restore the tradition of the German scholar-dealer that World War II interrupted.

The 1920s was a time of unprecedented change. In a new exhibition, the Fitzwilliam Museum tells the story of simultaneous prosperity and artistic innovation as well as political and economic crisis in Europe and America through coins, medals and banknotes.

The Roman Republican Die Project aims at providing a precise quantification of the monetary production under the Roman Republic. The first two parts of this project have been generously funded by the Arete Foundation.

The second edition of Robert W. Shippee’s popular book “Pleasure and Profit” has been published. Dennis Tucker has taken a look at the unique work, which remains an insightful guide to building a coin collection and investing in coins intelligently.

As Kazakhstan continues its national project of transitioning to the Latin alphabet, the National Bank has announced a new version of circulation coins reflecting this change. The move is seen as an effort to distance the country from Russian influence and the Soviet era.

Registration for the World Banknote Summit 2020 in Prague is now open. The third edition will be offering learning and networking opportunities in a familiar environment: topics will address practical issues related to banknote design, production and circulation management.

In cooperation with the AIATSIS, the Royal Australian Mint has released a new 50 cent coin dedicated to the International Year of Indigenous Languages. The pieces feature the word coin in various indigenous languages still spoken in Australia today.

CIT Coin Invest AG has designed on behalf of Mongolia a new issue in their Prehistoric Beasts series dedicated to Protoceratops. A special technique allows for the surface to resemble sandy rocks, a material in which a famous fossile of Protoceratops was found.

The European Union has passed its proposals for the import licensing of cultural property – unfortunately taking a big step backwards in the process. IADAA continues to argue that the measures fail to meet the EU’s own standards of proportionality.

He was a pirate from Genoa and his life could be the topic of any Hollywood romance: He rescued the Byzantine emperor, was rewarded with the rule over an island and married a princess. Written sources tell us that Francesco also struck coins. It is the second specimen of a gigliato only that will be sold at auction next week.

The highest priced Kennedy half dollar was auctioned on April 25, 2019. Since its introduction in 1964 several billions of this coin type have been minted. We will tell you why the most expensive Kennedy half dollar was so special.

Hugo Vanhoudt has published a detailed book on Belgian gold coins. It provides a complete overview of all the gold coins produced on the territory of present-day Belgium from the Celts to 2019. John Saunders presents the important work here.

Beginning in 2020 the CSNS convention will include the National Currency Convention as an official part. For 34 years the Professional Currency Dealers Association has held it as a free standing event.

The Reserve Bank of India have announced they will shortly issue the much anticipated 20 Rupee banknote. Hence, the country is coming closer to completing their second series portraying Mahatma Ghandi on the obverse and sites of cultural importance on the reverse.

One of the world’s most famous diarists, Samuel Pepys, is honoured by The Royal Mint with a commemorative coin. He contributed decisively to the understanding of the history of the seventeenth century, ranging from the Great Fire of London to the Plague.

The world’s largest auction platform for coins, Sixbid, informs its users that scammers send fake invoices to Sixbid bidders. These are easy to unmask as soon as you know what to look for. Sixbid asks anyone who has received such an email, to forward it to Sixbid to help criminal prosecution.

We actually wanted to go to Gibraltar. Find out why we went to Ronda – named “Arunda” by the Romans – instead, and why this city nestled in the mountains is considered the home of bullfighting in this part of “To Spain!”.

It is a coin that sparks the imagination. Once it entered the American consciousness it never left: the Morgan Silver Dollar. An updated edition of Q. David Bowers’s Guide Book has now been released. Dennis Tucker tells you more about the book’s history in this article.

The international conference “Numismatica Centroeuropaea IV” titled “War and Peace in the History of Money” will take place in September 2019. Participants have to sign up by June 30th; presentation abstracts must be submitted by July 31st.

Matching the jubilee of the first man to walk on the moon in 1969, the second part of the Armstrong Family Collection will be sold by Heritage. It is entirely certified by Collectibles Authentication Guaranty.

The Swedish National Bank has voiced concerns about the future efficiency of the payment systems as we know it. It has therefore proposed the establishment of a committee to review the concept of legal tender and the role of central bank money in digitalized economies.

The Swissmint commemorates the first moon landing 50 years ago with a new silver coin. The University of Bern participated in the mission with an experiment: Before the astronaut “Buzz” Aldrin hoisted the American flag on the moon, he first hung up a Swiss solar sail.

Pobjoy Mint has issued a coin dedicated to the Emperor Penguin. On behalf of the British Antarctic Territory the collector coin is minted in blue titanium and as the metal reacts differently with every strike, each coin is technically different and varies slightly in colour.

The Costa del Sol is not exactly known for its historical / archeological / numismatic highlights. Which is a mistake. For not only the ancient Roman town Baelo Claudia lies here. Near the Strait of Gibraltar, one of the most crucial naval battles of the 19th century took place: the Battle of Trafalgar.

Tourists standing in the middle of a huge crowd flocking to one of the UNESCO sites might wonder what travelling was like in the 19th century. Incredible daguerreotypes of Joseph-Philibert Girault de Prangey offer an answer at the Metropolitan Museum.

Roman art and architecture were much more than white marble and grey stone. In the exhibition “Ancient Color”, The Kelsey Museum of Archeology takes a closer look at the vibrant world of color in Rome.

Zlatko Viscevic has compiled an extensive catalog specialized in the minting of the Republic of Ragusa, which features extremely detailed descriptions and valuations for all varieties. Ursula Kampmann has taken a look at it.

The Royal Numismatic Society offers a great opportunity for students or early scholars of numismatics. Anyone interested in promoting their work to a wider audience is encouraged to give a lecture to RNS members in February 2020. The deadline for submissions is May 20, 2019.

As Japan welcomed a new Emperor and a new Imperial era on May 1st, 2019, the country’s currency will reflect this change from 2021 on. 3D holograms on banknotes and the coins’ bi-metallic composition are just a few of the numerous updates we can expect.

On May 4, 2019 Audrey Hepburn, ‘la Grande Dame’ of the silver screen, would have turned 90 years old. To commemorate her 90th birthday, the Royal Mint of Belgium is issuing a 25 euro commemorative coin in pure gold.

CIT Coin Invest AG has designed a new issue as part of their Evolution of Life series on behalf of Mongolia that is dedicated to the Pterosaur - the “flying dinosaurs” as they are generally called. The coin is minted in silver with antique finish, and in gold.

A case of burglary and arson are currently investigated in the small town of Tecumseh, Michigan. The store Tecumseh Coins was completely destroyed by the flames and the coin safes inside were found opened. Did the burglars deliberately set the store on fire to cover up their tracks?

What was the highest priced scripophily sale at auction in 2018? Was it an American stock certificate or maybe a Chinese government bond? None of these, says Franky Leeuwerck. It was a French share and it was sold in Boone's 60th Auction, at Antwerp on April 14, 2018.

Interpol has launched its new website. There is an interesting development: Baseless statements on the importance of illicit trade in cultural property were removed. This is important as these statements have been used in political argumentation.

Lego, Games of Thrones and Monopoly are just a few games where toy money is used. The new exhibition “Playing with Money: Currency and Games” at the British Museum explores how we understand money and economics through board games, toys and gambling.

The updated and revised second edition of Robert Leonard’s “Curious Currency” has just been published. Join the author on a journey back in time and around the world to explore the immense array of items used as money from the Stone Age to today’s digital era.

Peacock Bloom has been appointed an Official Submission Center to NGC, NCS and PMG in India. This is CCG’s first major effort to serve collectors and dealers there. PMG will conduct its first on-site grading event in Chennai in June of 2019.

With its new “Big Five” series, the South African Mint celebrates Africa’s unique natural heritage. The strength and beauty of the lion, leopard, elephant, rhinoceros and buffalo are embodied on fine-silver coins. The coins are scheduled to launch biannually.

Since 2010, the Spanish Royal Mint has been issuing 2-euro commemorative coins dedicated to the Spanish sites recognized in the UNESCO World Heritage List. The latest one to be added in 2019 is the Old Town of Ávila with its Extra-Muros Churches.

A medal designed by Eugene Daub honoring Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise has been released. It is the 50th one to be added to the Jewish-American Hall of Fame Series. Isaac Mayer Wise was an important Reform Rabbi and author of numerous theological works, essays and novels.

There is only a time span of one week and a four-hour flight that separates them: following the Singapore International Coin Fair, the Hong Kong Coin Show took place on the last weekend of March. Ursula Kampmann also visited the coin convention in Hong Kong.

The new exhibition “Making a Nation” at the Fitzwilliam Museum allows visitors to explore the historic journey from medieval England to the United Kingdom. The major dynastic, political and cultural changes are traced through 250 years of coins and medals.

We have already found the oldest Christian era dated coin and the oldest dated coin from Württemberg. Up next is the presumably first coin dated according to the Hijri calendar. The piece takes us to the south of today’s Iraq.

Every year the PNG publicly recognizes outstanding achievements in the hobby and the profession by honoring deserving recipients with awards in a half-dozen categories. Award nominations for 2019 must be made by May 31, 2019.

It’s almost impossible to imagine the world of coin collectors without the grading company NGC and the auction platform Sixbid. NGC has now been named the Official Grading Service of Sixbid. This step further strengthens the collaboration between the two companies.

As Uzbekistan introduce new 100,000 Som banknotes, the move is seen as alleviating the crucial shortage of smaller denominated notes for daily cash transactions. The theme of the banknotes is dedicated to the Uzbek scientist Mirzo Ulugbek.

Albert Poggio of the Gibraltar National Mint visited the Pobjoy Mint in March to witness the production of coins commemorating the opening of the new Calpe House, a facility in London for sponsored patients sent from Gibraltar for medical treatment.

The Italian Mint has issued a new silver 5 euro coin dedicated to the most famous Italian means of transportation: the Vespa. The pieces feature a colored depiction of the famous scooter in the three colors of the Italian flag respectively: green, white and red.

The latest piece of art by CIT Coin Invest AG is a lucky charm for all those who set out to conquer the Seven Seas. The silver coin has been issued on behalf of the Cook Islands and features an anchor - the oldest (lucky) symbol of seafaring.

While the Western world’s coin fair organizers are having more and more difficulties, coin fairs in Asia are booming. Like for instance the Singapore International Coin Fair, which took place March 22-24, 2019. Ursula Kampmann visited it for you.

In April of 2018, a Minnesota federal grand jury returned a criminal indictment charging a 68-year-old man with five counts related to the sale of counterfeit coins and one count of mail fraud. The defendant has now pleaded guilty. He faces imprisonment and high fines.

We don’t have to go back in time very far to find this week’s CoinsWeekly Coin Record. This time, a European mint submitted a record claiming that they produced the first ever QR coded coins in 2011 – a true symbol of the smartphone age!

The exhibition Scapegoat at the National Museum Zurich examines collective violence against individuals, from antiquity to the present day. In this context it looks not only at social but also economic reasons.

Kjell William Riibe is not only the owner of Riibe Mynthandel. He is also an enthusiastic collector who published his enormous collection of Norwegian paper money in 2018. Ursula Kampmann has taken a look at the new standard reference work.

Heritage Auctions announced its total annual sales for 2018 surpassed $826 million, setting more than a dozen world record sales as total online sales increased for the fourth straight year. Nearly 60 percent of 2018 sales was transacted through the internet.

As PCGS Currency abruptly ceased operations in early 2019, Paper Money Guaranty has now introduced a CrossOver service for notes that are still encapsulated in PCGS Currency holders. Collectors of banknotes can find instructions on how to use this service here.

The Bulgarian 100 Levs note has won the award for “Regional Banknote of the Year” at the High Security Printing EMEA in Malta. Its security features were supplied by Louisenthal, a subsidiary of Giesecke+Devrient Currency Technology GmbH.

The Royal Mint continues the “50 years of the 50p celebration” with the introduction of a set of brilliant uncirculated coins. Among the coins featured in the set is the rarest 50 p coin ever struck: the Kew Gardens 50p of 2009.

On behalf of the British Virgin Islands, Pobjoy Mint has released a golden yellow titanium coin featuring the Porcupine Fish. It continues the mint’s extremely popular series of coins featuring various wildlife and marine life from Overseas Territories.

In a BBC radio programme discussed ‘zombie statistics’, statistics being used to drive propaganda across many fields of interest. Statistics used as a basis of demanding new cultural property laws by German politicians were among those “zombies”.

In an official celebration, Ulrich Künker returned an unpublished specimen of the golden so-called “Alchemistentaler” to the Klassik Stiftung Weimar. The coin had been stolen in 1945. The auction house Künker bore all costs incurred in the restitution of the rare piece.

The new exhibition “The World between Empires” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art looks at the diverse history of cities and people in the ancient Middle East. Also, the sequence of the many rulers in that region is illustrated by a large choice of coins.

The FINT invites you to this year’s Regional Conference of Islamic numismatics in Tübingen. It will take place on May 4th and May 5th at the Department of Oriental and Islamic Studies. The organizers have issued a call for presentations.

The finalists for the 14th round of the IACA Excellence in Currency Awards, sponsored by Currency News, have been announced. The finalists were chosen by a panel of seven industry experts including four former central bankers.

The East India Company Bullion Ltd in partnership with the Treasury of the Government of the Island of Niue have released the third coin as part of their overall series entitled “The Trade Dollar Collection”.

Both the U.S. State of New Jersey and the City of Philadelphia have just passed legislation to ban businesses from refusing to accept cash. Lawmakers hope it will help prevent discriminatory practices and ensure equity and societal inclusion.

The taxation of precious metal coins and bullions in the U.S. is a source of annoyance for collectors and dealers alike. Now, a bill to end federal income taxation of precious metal coins and bullions has been introduced in the U.S. Congress.

On March 2nd and 3rd, 2019, the iconic coin convention in Munich NUMISMATA took place for the 52nd time already. More than 4,500 visitors in total attended the event on both days to get a chance to peruse everything dealers had to offer. The 272 exhibitors were more than happy.

The Beijing International Coin Exposition will take place from 15 to 17 November 2019. On 12,500 square meters of exhibition space exhibitors can expect to get in touch with Asia’s world of coin collecting.

The Eric P. Newman Numismatic Education Society has announced the creation of the Newman Grant program to financially assist numismatic authors and organizations pursuing original research in American numismatics. This year’s application deadline is April 1, 2019.

In compliance with the Bank of England’s issue of £5 and £10 banknotes printed on polymer, The Ulster Bank Northern Ireland has issued the same denominations. They include brand new designs featuring a new vertical concept.

The Royal Australian Mint has announced that it will begin phasing out the Ian Rank-Broadley effigy of Queen Elizabeth II in 2019. To commemorate the conclusion of the fifth effigy “IRB”, the Mint has issued 2019 Six Coin Proof Sets in gold and fine silver.

With its “Woodland Spirits” series, CIT Coin Invest AG has dedicated a numismatic tribute to the heroes of our forest fairy tales. After the first issue, which sold out fast, depicted a fox, the new silver coin now features a rabbit – just in time for Easter!

F+W, parent company of Krause Publications, has filed for bankruptcy. This could potentially result in the end of numerous numismatic publications in the United States. Years of mismanagement and staggering malinvestment are considered the causes of these developments.

The German numismatic community has lost a visionary: Dr. Rainer Opitz. In the numismatic world he is known for his dedication to coins and medals of the history of the Reformation. Fritz Rudolf Künker and Oliver Köpp remember this outstanding collector.

Last week, we presented the oldest dated coin of Württemberg. We had already typed out the article about the oldest coin dated according to the Christian era at the time. Now, a possible competitor has entered the stage.

In the context of the ANA’s National Money Show 2019, Harlan J. Berk has published the second edition of his successful work “100 Greatest Ancient Coins”. Renowned numismatist Italo Vecchi has taken a look at it and reflects on the importance of this book.

A long tradition, an exciting present, countless new possibilities! In early 2019, the long-standing Frankfurter Münzhandlung was reopened. Find out everything you need to know about the company’s history and the goals of the new managing team headed by Arne Kirsch.

The Swiss National Bank has begun issuing the new 1000-franc note. The design of the fifth banknote in the latest “The Many Facets of Switzerland” series is dedicated to the communicative flair of the polylingual country.

The Mint Directors Conference 2020 will take place in Cape Town and Pretoria in South Africa. Now the new MDC 2020 website is online and gives all related information at hand as the programme, registration options, or the schedule.

What makes us stay on a website longer? What makes us engage more with its content? What makes us come back to it? The Swedish Riksbank can answer these questions. Its online presence has just been named “Best Website of the Year” by the Central Banking Journal.

In celebration of the life and legacy of physicist Stephen Hawking, the Royal Mint has issued a 50p coin in gold, silver and cupro-nickel. The reverse features a design inspired by one of his “playful” lectures on black holes.

Some people suffer from a pathological urge to swallow coins. A man from Japan recently set a sad record: doctors removed 8 kilos of coins from his stomach. The injuries caused by this diet vary depending, among other things, on the coins’ material.

Three trials, two verdicts, one adjournment. We have summarized the latest developments in some of the court cases we reported on in the last couple of months. Verdicts were delivered in the context of the stolen crowns of Strängnäs and the Beatrix-Potter-murder.

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